31 outubro, 2012

Parece que estou a ouvir #143

After the monster storm, the monster holiday.
_______________________

Monster Mash

Bobby "Boris" Pickett

I was working in the lab late one night 
When my eyes beheld an eerie sight 
For my monster from his slab began to rise 
And suddenly to my surprise 

He did the mash 
He did the monster mash 
The monster mash 
It was a graveyard smash 
He did the mash 
It caught on in a flash 
He did the mash 
He did the monster mash 

From my laboratory in the castle east 
To the master bedroom where the vampires feast 
The ghouls all came from their humble abodes 
To get a jolt from my electrodes 

They did the mash 
They did the monster mash 
The monster mash 
It was a graveyard smash 
They did the mash 
It caught on in a flash 
They did the mash 
They did the monster mash 

The zombies were having fun 
The party had just begun 
The guests included Wolf Man 
Dracula and his son 

The scene was rockin', all were digging the sounds 
Igor on chains, backed by his baying hounds 
The coffin-bangers were about to arrive 
With their vocal group, "The Crypt-Kicker Five" 

They played the mash 
They played the monster mash 
The monster mash 
It was a graveyard smash 
They played the mash 
It caught on in a flash 
They played the mash 
They played the monster mash 

Out from his coffin, Drac's voice did ring 
Seems he was troubled by just one thing 
He opened the lid and shook his fist 
And said, "Whatever happened to my Transylvania twist?" 

It's now the mash 
It's now the monster mash 
The monster mash 
And it's a graveyard smash 
It's now the mash 
It's caught on in a flash 
It's now the mash 
It's now the monster mash 

Now everything's cool, Drac's a part of the band 
And my monster mash is the hit of the land 
For you, the living, this mash was meant too 
When you get to my door, tell them Boris sent you 

Then you can mash 
Then you can monster mash 
The monster mash 
And do my graveyard smash 
Then you can mash 
You'll catch on in a flash 
Then you can mash 
Then you can monster mash

Ditto #223

Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get.

-- Mark Twain

29 outubro, 2012

Espantos #341

The East coast is bracing for yet another monster storm...
Sandy is putting everyone on the lookout, just like Irene did.

28 outubro, 2012

Caprichos #219

Panera's chocolate pecan babka!

Caprichos #218

Shopping clothes for kids

27 outubro, 2012

Foi neste dia #189 (1912)

Bondinho do Pão de Açúcar (não o de Santa Teresa)... há 100 anos a rumar nos céus do Rio de Janeiro.

25 outubro, 2012

Caprichos #217

The fine ladies of Pi Phi sorority apparently give a “pie of the week” to a different dept. each week.  This is Econ week. So there is a Whole Foods chocolate silk pie in the copy room. Have at it!

Oh, I'm having it!

24 outubro, 2012

Parece que estou a ouvir #142

Last night @ the BluebirdIn the Round with Jonathan Singleton, Kip Moore, John Randall and Jessi AlexanderThe songwriters  sang their own songs... most have made it to the top charts with professional singers and are very familiar; others are to be released in the near future so we'll soon hear them on the radio. It was fantastic to hear John Singleton sing and play "Why don't we just dance?"... and so much better than Josh Turner!
__________

Why don't we just dance?
Josh Turner
Music and Lyrics: Jim Beavers, Jonathan Singleton, Darell Brown

Baby why don't we just turn that TV off?
Three hundred fifteen channels
Of nothing but bad news on
Well, it might be me, but the way I see it
The whole wide world has gone crazy
So baby, why don't we just dance?

This little bitty living room ain't gonna look like much
But when the lights go down and we move the couch
It's gonna be more than enough
For my two left feet and our two hearts beatin'
Nobody's gonna see us go crazy
So baby, why don't we just dance?

Down the hall, maybe straight up the stairs
Bouncin' off the wall, floatin' on air
Baby, why don't we just dance?

Baby, why don't you go put your best dress on?
Those high heeled shoes you love to lose
As soon as the tunes come on
On second thought, just the way you are
Is already drivin' me crazy
So baby, why don't we just dance?

Down the hall, maybe straight up the stairs
Bouncin' off the wall, floatin' on air
Baby, why don't we just dance?

Well it might be me but the way I see it
The whole wide world has gone crazy
So baby, why don't we just dance?
Oh baby, why don't we just dance?

23 outubro, 2012

Caprichos #216

Pasta with broccolini (not even close to rapini) and cherry-tomato/mozzarella salad... delicious!
_______

Massa com brocolini (parecido com bróculos espigados e nada a ver com grelos) e salada de tomate cereja com mozarela... delicioso!

22 outubro, 2012

Cores de Outono #19

Há duas semanas em Vancouver:
 Esta semana no Tennessee:

20 outubro, 2012

18 outubro, 2012

Retirado do contexto #142

Flulapalooza-zed, and ready to go.

Chicago yet again...

... a fair comparison.

Pormenores #85

Ainda Vancouver...

vários pormenores:

a peninsula de Stanley park, para caminhadas matinais;

pegada à peninsula do centro da cidade com prédios altos; 


de onde se avistam as montanhas nevadas a norte; 


e os cargueiros  espalhados pela enorme baía, esperando
entrada no porto;


e um aeroporto fora da cidade, mas tão perto!

Caprichos #235

Two weeks ago in Vancouver, the jetlag led me into a morning walk in Stanley park,

helped by the fact that I was staying at the nearby Sylvia hotel
(the landmark building turns 100 this year) on English bay.

The boardwalk starts by the by the beach, here facing downtown,

and here turning my back to it and just walking.



Some large logs, lost by timber carriers, came ashore,

 but that day, the waters were very calm,

so were the geese,

and the general surroundings.

17 outubro, 2012

Cores de Outono #18

Fall foliage on the winding road

15 outubro, 2012

Parece que estou a ouvir #141

Lágrima
letra: Amália Rodrigues

música: Carlos Gonçalves

Cheia de penas 
Cheia de penas me deito 
E com mais penas 
E com mais penas me levanto 
No meu peito 
Já me ficou no meu peito 
Este jeito 
O jeito de querer tanto 

Desespero 
Tenho por meu desespero 
Dentro de mim 
Dentro de mim o castigo 
Eu não te quero 
Eu digo que não te quero 
E de noite 
De noite sonho contigo 

Se considero 
Que um dia hei-de morrer 
No desepero 
Que tenho de te não ver 
Estendo o meu xaile 
Estendo o meu xaile no chão 
Estendo o meu xaile 
E deixo-me adormecer 

Se eu soubesse 
Se eu soubesse que morrendo 
Tu me havias 
Tu me havias de chorar 
Por uma lágrima 
Por uma lágrima tua 
Que alegria 
Me deixaria matar

Ditto #221


If you are prepared, then you are able to feel confident.

-- Robert J. Ringer

13 outubro, 2012

Foi neste dia #188 (1613)

Luísa de Gusmão, rainha consorte de Portugal nasceu há 399 anos. Em 1633 Luísa casou com João, duque de Bragança, e sete anos mais tarde, aquando da revolta contra os espanhóis, Luísa terá encorajado o marido a aceitar o trono com a frase:

Antes rainha uma hora que duquesa toda a vida!

E foi... apesar de ter nascido em Salúncar de Barrameda na Andalusia.

Luísa teve sete filhos: 

1. em 1634 Teodósio, o príncipe herdeiro, morreu solteiro de tuberculose com 19 anos;
2. em 1635 Ana, morreu à nascença;
3. em 1635 Joana, morreu poucos meses depois do seu irmão Teodósio, solteira com 18 anos;
4. em 1638 Catarina, rainha consorte de Inglaterra ao casar com Carlos II (levando Tânger e Bombaim no dote), morreu sem filhos aos 67 anos;
5. em 1640 Manuel, morreu à nascença;
6. em 1643 Afonso, o sexto, herdeiro por morte de Teodósio, foi declarado incapaz e morreu sem filhos em Sintra aos 40 anos;
7. em 1648 Pedro, o segundo, que sucedeu a seu irmão Afonso VI, morreu com 58 anos e com vários herdeiros.

Luísa foi rainha durante dezasseis anos e regente por mais seis. Dos seus descendentes directos que sobreviveram para além dos vinte anos,
todos reinaram.

12 outubro, 2012

Cores de Outono #17

 Canada is changing color :-)

11 outubro, 2012

Proudest sail...

O, how I faint when I of you do write,
Knowing a better spirit doth use your name,
And in the praise thereof spends all his might,
To make me tongue-tied, speaking of your fame!
But since your worth, wide as the ocean is,
The humble as the proudest sail doth bear,
My saucy bark inferior far to his
On your broad main doth wilfully appear.
Your shallowest help will hold me up afloat,
Whilst he upon your soundless deep doth ride;
Or being wreck'd, I am a worthless boat,
He of tall building and of goodly pride:
Then if he thrive and I be cast away,
The worst was this; my love was my decay.

William Shakespeare, Sonnet LXXX

10 outubro, 2012

Caprichos #234

Artsy capuchino or hot chocolate, in Vancouver.

09 outubro, 2012

Coisas que não mudam #200

British Columbia and its sunken gardens. This time in Vancouver at Queen Elizabeth park.


Foi neste dia #187 (1281)

Há 751 anos nascia em Lisboa D. Dinis, conhecido para a história como o lavrador ou rei poeta, e tido como justo e bom para o país.

Já na familia real a história foi outra. Dinis casou com Isabel de Aragão (a rainha santa... a das rosas) em 1282 quando esta tinha 12 anos e teve várias amantes ao longo da sua vida. Nada de espantar à época, por alguma razão os filhos bastardos dos reis se chamavam "filhos naturais". Mas assistia a Dinis um certo laivo de crueldade quando tirava os seus filhos às mães e os entregava à sua mulher legítima para que esta os criasse. Paciência de santa...

08 outubro, 2012

Coisas que não mudam #199

I knew that in Canada Thanksgiving day was earlier that in the US. What I did not know is that it happens on the second Monday of each October... since I left yesterday, I just missed it. Happy Thanksgiving to one and all maple leafers!

04 outubro, 2012

Retirado do contexto #141

Diz quem vê: tão pequenino e já metido nos copos...
Diria o urso: eu não sei como é que há homens que gostam disto!